Researchers are developing 'the espresso machine of 3D printers'

Of all the potential applications of 3D printing, one of
the use-cases we hear far too little about is the idea of using
additive manufacturing for printing food.

While a few restaurants have experimented with the
technology to create interesting results, it’s not something
which on the radar for most people in terms of their likely
purchases for the home.

That’s something that researchers at Columbia University in
New York City are hoping to change, however, with their concept for a consumer food 3D printer, which
could comfortably fit on the countertop of just about
any kitchen.

“What I wanted to do was to create a machine that would
help explain to people what the main function of 3D food printing
will be, and how such a printer will fit into their daily lives,”
industrial design graduate student Drim Stokhuijzen told Digital Trends. “I wanted
this to be the espresso machine of 3D printers.”

Working alongside Columbia’s mechanical engineering
professor Hod
Lipson, and International Culinary Center (ICC) director of
food technology Chef Hervé Malivert, Stokhuijzen’s food-based 3D
printer is capable of not only extruding 3D-printed foods
(printed from various frozen pureed base ingredients), but also
cooking it directly afterward. Right now, it’s still just a
proof-of-concept for a product which might ship around 2020
— but it’s all based on real-world technologies, and is a
fascinating glimpse into the immediate future of home
dining.

Digital
Trends

Stokhuijzen says his interest in the project was partially
sparked by his own desire to understand why 3D printing a meal
was important. “Today, we’re in a world of farm-to-table food,
where everything has to be organic, fresh and sustainable,” he
said. “That world and the world of 3D printing seemed
contradictory, but it became increasingly obvious to me where the
use-cases will be.” For example, Stokhuijzen notes that 3D
printing food creates little waste since people only print
what they need. The ability to build a food object layer-by-layer
also makes it possible to have precise control over the
nutritional content of food. For more adventurous chefs, it also
opens up new possibilities for daring creations that would be
impossible to create in any other way.

“Food printing is still at the start of its journey,” he
said. “But I think this is a realistic look at what 3D food
printers will look like, how they will work, and how they’ll
interact with the consumer.”